


Survival

by canufeelthemagictonight



Series: ETNuary [19]
Category: Escape the Night (Web Series), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Awkwardness, Different Survivors, ETNuary, Friendship, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Guilt, Happy Safiya Day!, Saf and Matt bonding, Saf lives, silver lining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-20
Updated: 2020-01-20
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:41:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22323502
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/canufeelthemagictonight/pseuds/canufeelthemagictonight
Summary: Safiya survives.Safiya Nygaard at the gates of Everlock after her survival.An Escape the Night AU. Day 19 of ETNuary.
Relationships: Safiya Nygaard & Matthew Patrick
Series: ETNuary [19]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1587721
Comments: 11
Kudos: 26





	Survival

**Author's Note:**

> Day 19 is Safiya Nygaard! She should've lived. Don't @ me.

Safiya survives.

She survives, but it doesn't feel _worth_ it. Not after everyone they've lost to this town. Not after Jc, Roi, Teala, Colleen, Manny, Rosanna, and Nikita. Not after Safiya herself said goodbye to her innocence.

Yes, she and her fellow survivors earned their victory, but it's like they've won a plastic trophy after giving up all that they held dear.

"Safiya?"

The dark-haired Reporter turns her head at the sound of her name and locks eyes with Matthew "MatPat" Patrick, the new and unexpected friend she found in Everlock. He carries his pink stuffed horse _(Blanche, is that her name?)_ underneath his arm, his detective badge on his hip, and a relieved yet resigned grin on his face.

"Hey, Matt." Safiya smiles ever so slightly. "That sure was something, huh?"

Matt snorts. "That's _one_ way of putting it. I'm just glad it's over."

"Yeah," murmurs Safiya.

Silence falls over the pair. Safiya can tell that both of them are thinking about all the YouTubers who didn't escape the night. Rosanna, the third member of their little trio, who went out with love in her heart...Colleen, who was cruelly betrayed to such an awful, bloody fate...and Nikita, _oh, God, I shot Nikita, how am I supposed to live with myself? How are_ any _of us supposed to go back to our lives as the people we used to be?_

She pivots away from her guilt and grief in order to change the subject. "So where do you think Joey went off to?"

"I dunno," replies Matt. "He said he had to do something. Whatever it was, it sounded important."

"Yeah," says Safiya. _This conversation is getting increasingly awkward._ "I guess we just—"

But Matt interrupts her. "You know, Saf, I never thanked you."

"For what?"

"For saving my life. Three times. I'd be _long_ dead without you."

Safiya scrunches her nose. She and Joey brought Matt back from the dead _and_ saved him from the zombies' mausoleum, but when was the third time she rescued him?

 _Oh, right._ She kicks herself. _I remember now. Ro and I decided not to send him into the Funhouse._ She'd rather not think about the Funhouse or its fallout. That place has caused her enough pain as it is.

"You're welcome," she says sheepishly.

Matt offers a hand to her. "Friends?"

"Friends," she agrees, taking it.

Two seconds later, Joey comes running through the gates of Everlock, clutching a giant blue crystal in his arms. "Okay," he pants breathlessly. "I got it. Let's go home."

Safiya squints at the crystal, confused. "What _is_ that?"

"I'll explain later," responds Joey.

A Society Against Evil car soon pulls up in front of Everlock's entrance. The driver rolls down her window. "Get in," she says briskly. "Now."

Safiya does as she's told. She doubts that she'll ever forgive herself for what she's done tonight, and she knows that she'll miss her fallen friends for as long as she lives, but at least she survived, broke out of her shell, and created a friendship that she knows will last. Just as everything always has an explanation, so it's also true that there's a silver lining to every storm cloud.

Maybe someday, she'll see past the rain.

**Author's Note:**

> Next up: Tyler Oakley!


End file.
